5 Steps to an Effective Remote Work Strategy

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If the recent pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that companies need to have a remote work strategy in place to keep their employees safe. This is a massive undertaking that requires coordination and careful planning to execute correctly. There are different aspects of your business that need to be secure, policies in place to protect employees, tools at the ready, and more. What steps should you take to create a solid plan of attack? Let Reverus show you the way.

1. Employee Expectations and Guidelines

Do your human resource policies cover employee conduct when they’re not working from a company office? Working remotely is a freedom for many employees that allows them to work from a more comfortable environment. That said, remote work doesn’t have the same structure that an office does and can have distractions that pull your workers away from their responsibilities. Having clear guidelines in place gives your employees a base ruleset to follow and keep them on task. This includes customer engagement, standard work hours, how long they are available each day, and more. Remote work doesn’t always occur at home either. You should assess your business model and see if it is flexible enough to allow employees to work remotely from coffee shops, restaurants, or other locations. If you’re confident in the security of your systems and trust your workers to get the job done no matter the circumstances, then this shouldn’t be an issue.

2. Tools and Information

Do your employees have all the tools and information they need to be successful? There are many different questions you should be running over when you consider these elements, including:

Laptops/Computers: If they use a company device, can it be taken home? If not, does a personal device work just as well? Do you need to rent/lease devices so everyone can work remotely?
Phones: Most modern phone services can be used anywhere through a simple piece of software called a softphone and a headset. The softphone can be installed into cell phones and computers alike for ease of access.
Email: Do your employees have access to their emails/calendar remotely? Are they at risk with remote access to these items?
Files: Can your employees access their data remotely? If not, do you have a support system in place to ensure they can get what they need?
Remote Access/VPN: Does your business require access to resources at an office or central location like a server or specialized piece of hardware/software? If so, how will employees securely interact with it? Do they have access to resources that can help them gain access at any time?

3. Communication Methods

Do your employees have a way to communicate with customers or other members of the company? Collaboration tools are a time-saver that keep everyone connected and feeling like they’re still in an office setting without the office space around them. Using tools like Office 365’s OneDrive, Teams, Slack, or other communication tools can significantly increase productivity and collaboration between team members.

Using tools like Office 365’s OneDrive, Teams, Slack, or other communication tools can significantly increase productivity and collaboration between team members.

4. Device Security

Are your employees’ devices secure? Whether the equipment is company-owned or not, every device needs to be accounted for and secured with encryption, backups, and more. Depending on the business, the device can interact with your systems and your customers’ systems, putting both at risk if the right elements aren’t in place. This includes:

Endpoint Management: Do your onsite computers have management or policy restrictions? Do they need to be in place for remote workers or can they be pruned back?
Antivirus: All your devices should have the latest in malware and virus protection, no matter what.
Encryption: If sensitive files are involved, there is a chance that they could be stolen. Anything at-risk should be handled with filesystem encryption and constant security checks.

5. Data Security

Is the company’s data secure? It’s hard to contain a data breach when you don’t have controls in place, especially when your employees are working remotely. If employees are working with sensitive data, they need a place to store it, be that on their device or a storage hub you provide. The data needs to be backed up as well in case the worst happens and it’s lost or stolen so that you don’t lose even more time and energy.

At Reverus, we can provide a consultative approach to review each of these steps with you and your team. Whether you need temporary software to allow people to use their onsite computers or need hardware rental services, Reverus can help keep things moving smoothly and efficiently right from the start.